Improvement in earth-closets



NUNITED STATES PATENT OEEIIGE.

WILLIAM EAEErsoN NEWTON, OE NEWPORT, RHODE IsLAND.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 107,799, dated September 27, 1.870.

To whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM .HARRISON NEWTON, of Newport, in the county of Newport and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Earth- Glosets, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to a new mode of distributing earth over the, excreta or deposits, and is intended to dispense with the use of valves and complicated mechanism heretofore employed, in order to regulate the passage of th e earth from the hopper or receptacle in which it,is placed to the deposit-box.

My invention may be stated to consist, iirst, in an earth-closet or commode, in which the discharge of earth upon the fecal matter is eifected by the movement of the cover, substantially as hereinafter described; second, in the combination, with the earth-closet or commode, of a seat-cover, hinged to the same, and provided with a hopper and a discharge tube or pipe, so arranged in relation to one another that when the cover is raised the earth will be brought in position toV enter the tube, and when the cover is again lowered a certain quantity of the earth will pass through the tube -and the seat into the box containing the fecal matter.

The manner 1n wh ich my invention is or may be carried into effect will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of acommode made in accordance lwith my invention, and termed by me a dry-earth cabinet.7 Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sections of the dry-earth cabinet, the former representing' the cover down, and the latter the cover thrown back.

Ais the lower part of the commode, containing thepan B, and provided with a seat,

will gather in what was formerly the highest,

but is now the lowest, part of the hopperand will be immediately over the mouth ofthe tube F, there being space enough between vthe tube and the top of the box D to allow a considerable quantity of earth to fall between them. If, now, the cover be returned to its position over the seat, the major part of the earth will return to the bottom of the hopper; but a quantity of it will also pass down through the tube, and will th ence be discharged through the seat C into the pan B, which contains the excreta. Figs. 2 and 3 represent clearly the different positions assumed by the earth when the cover is thus operated. I am consequently enabled by the movement of the cover to cause the earth to be discharged upon the excreta, using no special mechanism for regulating the discharge of the earth, butinsuringits certain delivery so long as any of it remains in the hopper. The throwing back of the cover at once places the requisite quantity of earth in position at the mouth of the discharge-tube, andthemoment the cover is lowered this quantity will pass down the tube through the seat and distribute itself over the deposit in the pan.. The amount of earth thus discharged can be regulated readily by varying the diameter of the tube and the space left around its mouth for the reception of the earth. I have found that a discharge of about one and onehalf pint is all that is required.

The earth may be introduced into the hopper in any convenient and suitable manner. I find a door, Gr, in the top of the hopper well adapted for the purpose; andpin order to prevent the cover when turned back from going over too far, I make use of a supporting-frame, H, which is hinged to the upper part of the back of the cover, and can be brought out into the position shown in Figs. l and 3 whenever needed.

The commode or dry-earth cabinet, when of the form shown in the drawing, may be made an ornamental piece of furniture, and nothing in its shape, when the cover is down, suggests the use for which it is designed. I desire to say, however, that while my invention is here described as applied to the production of commodes or portable earth-closets to be used in rooms, yet the same principle may also be used in the construction of earth-closets constituting permanent fixtures in houses or other 1ocalities, and,in fact, is applicable to any closet in which earth is used to cover the fecalmatter.

It is obvious that the internal arrangement of the cover or upper section, D, of the commode, by which the discharge of the earth is insured when the movement ofthe cover takes place, may be greatly modied without departure from the principle of my invention. I do not, therefore, limit myself to the details gf construction herein described and shown;

4What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An earth-closet or commode in which the discharge of earth upon the fecal matter takes place through the privy-seat, and is eiected by the movement of the seat-cover or earthreceptacle, as herein shown and described.

2. The combination, with the earth-closet or commode, of a seat-cver hinged to the same,

and provided with a hopper and discharge tube or tubes, arranged substantially as described, so that at each raising and lowering of the cover a certain quantity ot earth in the hopper will be caused to pass through the said tube and the seat into the pan containing the excreta.

3. The combination, with the hinged earthreceptacle and seat-cover, of the hinged frame for supporting the same when thrown back from the seat, substantially as shown and set forth.

4. A commodeor dry-earth cabinet composed of two sections hinged together, the lower section containing the pan and seat, the upper section the dry-earth receptacle and discharge-conduit for the same, the saidparts being so formed that when the commode is not in use the upper section may be turned down, so as to cover and rest upon the lower section, substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification before two subscribing witnesses.

'WM. HARRISON NEWTON.

Witnesses CHAs. O. VAN ZANDT, LAWRENCE Rnonnns. 

